The challenge

Manage a pump facility remotely while meeting emission standards

Midstream pumping facilities keep products in the pipelines moving to their destination but are one of the highest energy costs. Managing the load for supply and demand is a critical part of keeping costs down but because the facilities are usually located in remote locations it’s not possible to have round-the-clock on-site technical support. The industry go-to solution is to manage the pumps remotely and this was the case for a producer who wanted to manage pumps in a remote and rugged part of Wyoming from their Tulsa operations. The extra challenge was that the system had to comply with US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emission standards.

Project fact file

Tier 4
Standard

EPA emissions level that needed to be met

10

Tier 4 compliant generators used

580+
miles

Distance from Tulsa to Wyoming

The solution

Specially designed diesel engines that meet environmental laws

We had to take into account the stringent Tier 4 rules set by the EPA that regulate noxious emissions. We used 10 of our generators designed specifically to meet Tier 4 standards along with four fuel tanks, and a transformer. SCADA (Supervisory control and data acquisition) software was used to connect the engines to the control room in Tulsa where staff could turn the pumps off and on as they wanted. An Aggreko Remote Monitoring (ARM) technology system was used to monitor performance from a centre in Louisiana. One of our technicians would stop by on a regular basis for maintenance or in response to an ARM notification.

The impact

Emission standards were met with significant reduction in fuel costs

We were the only vendors that could implement the project using several smaller Tier 4 generators, and all our diesel-fuelled generators meet EPA standards for reducing diesel particulate matter and nitrogen oxide (NOx). We set the operators up with a reliable system that allowed the customer to control the pumps remotely and make significant cost savings. The extra monitoring from our Louisiana control room gave the customer peace of mind that the pumping facility was always in good working condition.

“Our organisational depth meant we could provide all the necessary resources – Health, Safety and Environment (HSE), electrical design and project management – to ensure the system was reliable and met EPA standards.”